Long Island’s Gwaltney a coup for WVU
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – In the end, running back Jason Gwaltney chose the school that first recruited him. Gwaltney signed a national letter-of-intent Wednesday to play at West Virginia, capping the pursuit of one of the nation’s top college football recruits.
The 6-foot-1, 230-pound Gwaltney ran for 2,882 yards and 45 touchdowns last fall at North Babylon High School in Long Island, N.Y. He set state single-game records for rushing (437), touchdowns (nine) and points scored (54).
Gwaltney, who had 27 touchdowns of 50 yards or longer, is considered to be West Virginia highest-ranked recruit since Robert Alexander in the mid-1970s.
“Jason Gwaltney will be a great player for us at some point,” Rodriguez said. “We’ve had a great tradition of tailbacks here at West Virginia and Jason should help in continuing that tradition.
“I hope our fans will let him learn at his pace and our pace.”
Gwaltney will join his half-brother and teammate, 270-pound fullback Scooter Berry, who also signed with WVU.
The Mountaineers were the first school to contact Gwaltney in his junior season and he eventually gave them a verbal commitment. But he pulled back in the last few months and also visited national champion Southern California, Ohio State, Michigan State and Central Florida.
Gwaltney said ex-WVU running backs Avon Cobourne and Quincy Wilson told him about Mountaineer fans’ undivided loyalty, and that rabid following played a role in his decision.
“I would say overall it was the love that the people in the state of West Virginia have. It’s a beautiful thing,” Gwaltney said. “Quincy and Avon said these fans are all for you. That’s something I wanted to be a part of.”
Three top recruiting reports listed Gwaltney among the top 25 high school players in the nation. In the Class II Long Island championship game, Gwaltney rushed 40 times for 237 yards and scored five touchdowns.
West Virginia returns starter Jason Colson and sophomore Pernell Williams, but Gwaltney believes he will play right away.
“Physically, I’m a different back from Colson and Pernell. Being a real physical runner, always going forward, that’s going to be my advantage,” Gwaltney said.
The disadvantage is he needs to absorb a complicated offense.
“Gwaltney definitely has the talent and the physical maturity to play this fall,” recruiting coordinator Herb Hand said. “But he has a lot to learn and that will be the key once he gets here.”
The Mountaineers signed 30 other players, including an unusually large number of in-state players.
They included Martinsburg quarterback Nate Sowers, voted the state’s top player in 2004; Weir’s Zac Cooper, winner of the Huff Award as the state’s top defensive player; Parkersburg South wide receiver Ryan Dawson and Moorefield linebacker Reed Williams.